Raleigh police arrest suspect in death of Glenwood South restaurant manager

Police have arrested a man in connection with the death of a downtown Raleigh restaurant worker earlier this week.

David Millette, 27, was injured in an altercation in the 600 block of Glenwood Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. Aug. 26, according to Raleigh police.

During the incident, Millette was punched and injuries when he fell to the ground and hit his head on the sidewalk, according to The News & Observer’s media partner, ABC11 News.

He was taken to an area hospital and died Friday morning from his injuries, according to police spokesperson Lt. Jason Borneo.

Early Saturday morning, police arrested Tyrell Jarue Moore, 23, in connection with Millette’s death and charged him with murder. Police said Moore was arrested at 1:39 a.m. with assistance from Fuquay Varina police.

There have been 19 homicides in Raleigh this year.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department at 919-996-1193.

‘A big heart’

Millette was the general manager, operating partner and part owner of Midwood Smokehouse.

“We are incredibly sad to report that we lost a part of our team last night to a senseless act of violence in our neighborhood and will be closed (Friday),” according to the restaurant’s Instagram page. “ Normal operations resume tomorrow, but for now please keep our Midwood family in your thoughts. Thank you.”

Cov DeRamus, a partner at Midwood, hired Millette when he was a teenager at Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar.

“The common thread is just how much he cared about people and how he went out of his way to do little things for anybody, perfect strangers, friends or family or best friends,” he said. “That didn’t make any difference. He had a big heart and he just wanted to please people.”

DeRamus remembers Millette offering to pick up other restaurant employees who needed a ride into work on a snow day.

“Along the way, you know, anybody that had pulled over on the side of the road and if they needed assistance, he had to stop at every single car and make sure there hadn’t been anyone hurt,” DeRamus said.

Glenwood South crime

Glenwood South stretches five blocks between Hillsborough and Peace streets.

Neighbors and concerned residents have complained about the nightlife district at Raleigh City Council meetings, citing drunken behavior, fights and crimes. On a nearby neighborhood listserv, North Carolina First Lady Kristen Cooper questioned the district’s “vibrancy” after a man tried to kick down the door of her private home at 3 a.m.

In late July, The News & Observer sent journalists to spend 24 hours in the district to highlight its day-to-night transformation. As of Aug. 3, four people had been shot in Glenwood South this year, The N&O previously reported.

There have been 21 aggravated assaults and 69 simple assaults so far in Glenwood South this year.

DeRamus lives near Glenwood South and says the “city doesn’t have the spine to do anything about the crime” in the area.

“I’m in the hospitality business and make some of my living on selling alcohol,” he said. “However, I think we do it in a manner that’s a bit more responsible. At the end of the day, you know, we’re a community of people. And I’m pretty sure that most of us want all the same things. We want a vibrant community, but we need to do so in a manner that keeps people safe.”

The city recently started shutting down part of Glenwood Avenue late on weekend nights to keep “motorcycles and loud vehicles” from cruising up and down the main stretch and is working on other initiatives to make the area safer, said Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.

“We are committed to public safety,” she said. “We don’t take this lightly. This is something we’ve been really seriously talking with the community about, and our chief has been really working with a great deal of urgency.”

The News & Observer has requested a copy of any 911 calls related to this incident.

Reporter Drew Jackson contributed to this report.